THE LIST SHOW

100 Facts About Gen X

If you've ever been called a "latchkey kid," this list of facts about Gen X is for you.

7 Dangerous and Deadly Toys From History

The toys on this list include "what were they thinking?" oddities—like a children's laboratory kit that included uranium—but also some seemingly innocuous recreational offerings.

7 Alleged Pyramid Schemes and Scams

These companies that were accused (and sometimes convicted of) engaging in alleged pyramid schemes and other scams.

16 of History's Coolest Cats

In our latest episode of The List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy runs down stories of some of history’s most incredible cats (her own cats excluded).

These facts will have you making this face.

15 Facts You’ll Wish You Had Never Learned

We can’t promise you’ll ever feel the same way about pasta, pools, or your own face.

A small sampling of our 50+ regional dish selections

One Beloved Dish From Each U.S. State

You probably know about Chicago's deep dish pizza and New York City's famous bagels, but what's the signature regional dish in Alabama? Or Idaho?

DEET might not exist without military research.

9 Inventions That Came From the Military

From bug spray to Epipens, you might be surprised to learn just how many items taking up shelf space in your home were originally developed for the front lines.

Ballerinas are not considered a mythical creature

The Origins of 13 Mythical Creatures

Our latest episode of The List Show gets into some illuminating stories, from merpeople (or is that manatees?) to 'pontianak.'

11 Facts About the Animals of Chernobyl

Researchers thought the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster was unable to support life. But a bunch of wolves, deer, wild boars, bears, and foxes disagreed.

Know how to respond the next time someone tells you the bogus origins of the phrase 'bring home the bacon.'

12 Widely Repeated Phrase Origins, Debunked

The stories behind these phrase origins are amazing. Too bad they’re not true—and too bad they’re often repeated as fact. Here’s the real scoop behind the expressions.

Most of this advice is hopelessly outdated.

20 Questionable Pieces of Old-Timey Relationship Advice

From the dangers of being a “sexual vampire” to the best ways to charm your in-laws, here’s what relationship advice looked like in the past.

Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton was taller than Michael Jordan

100 “WTF” Facts

In this episode of The List Show, we cover 100 facts about everything from business to biology that'll make you say, “huh?”

Tom Cruise did not, in fact, engage in a "war of the worlds"

13 Lies Movies Taught Us

In this episode of The List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy traces some of the most common myths we've gotten from movies.

Megafauna like woolly mammoths dominated during the ice age.

20 Cool Facts About the Ice Age

From what causes ice ages and how many we’ve had, to the species that thrived and the ones that died, here’s what you need to know.

The World’s Largest Pistachio, New Mexico.

The Coolest Offbeat Attraction in Each U.S. State

In the latest episode of The List Show, host Justin Dodd takes an off-kilter roadtrip through the United States, with stops at a self-flushing latrine, a collection of human brains, and much more.

100 Things We Learned in 2022

There’s no better way to wrap up 2022 than by sharing a whopping 100 things we learned this year, from interesting AI developments to unintentional art heists—and, of course, the results of the 2022 Kids’ Mullet Championships.

We have better cold weather tires thanks to NASA.

11 NASA Inventions We Use Every Day

From scratch-resistant eyeglass lenses to memory foam, here’s all the tech you should be thanking NASA for.

30 Curious Facts About Movies

Including which legendary film managed to get a PG rating despite double-digit “F-bombs,” and how ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ made history in North Korea.

6 Hoaxes People Actually Believed

In this episode of The List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy shares some clever hoaxes that had people tricked.

Seven years of bad luck would seem like a walk in the park to these people.

10 of the Unluckiest People in History

Grab your lucky rabbit’s foot and read up on the tales of some of the unluckiest people in history, from the man whose backyard became a battlefield (twice!) to an absurdly accident-prone instrument inventor and beyond.

10 Battles That Changed History

From the World War II engagement that helped instigate a medical breakthrough to the devastating attack that indirectly contributed to the Renaissance, these battles altered the course of history.

Not quite as impossible as you'd imagine.

16 Facts That Will Warp Your Sense of Time

In this episode of The List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy shares 16 facts that will warp your sense of time.

7 Incredible Mass Hysteria Events

In this episode of The List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy shares seven unbelievable events of mass hysteria from history.

"Magnifying glass" is actually two words.

50 Strange Words You’ll Want to Start Using

In this episode ofThe List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy shares the meaning of 50 words you’ll be happy to know.